Danny DeVito, International Man of Intrigue

"Many Palestinians do not even have television sets. What is more, for the past three years here no one has listened to anyone, so what makes these people think they will listen to Danny DeVito?"

That's Israeli sociologist Oz Almog telling the London Telegraph what he thinks of a new Hollywood intervention into the Middle East. DeVito, along with A-listers such as Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston, have announced that they will be going to Israel on a "mission" sometime before the end of the year.

Pitt and Aniston believe that most people in the region want a negotiated settlement with an end to violence, and imagine that by appealing directly to "ordinary folk", they can bring the warring parties together.

My money is on TV's Louie De Palma. If he can't unify Palestinians and Israelis by giving them something to hate in common, they'll never get together.